Uber Notre Dame in Times of Covid-19 Pandemic

September 18, 2020

Where do the employees working with us live? What means of transportation do they use to come to work? How many different means of transportation do they need to reach our houses? These are questions that we usually do not ask. However, as the number of contaminated people by Covid-19 increased in Canoas and the surrounding region, as a protective measure, we decided to pick up our employees from their homes and also take them home after work. To do that, the information mentioned above became necessary.

Realizing that they live miles away from the location of their work; that they leave home at dawn, take the metro and two or more buses to arrive at work, required us to establish complex and exhaustive logistics to carry out our decision.

From the beginning of July until now, a task force has been set up which counts on the generosity of our sister-drivers and some employees to undertake this mission. Following a daily schedule with a timetable and addresses, the “UBER NOTRE DAME” starts its service in the early hours in the morning and ends in the late afternoon. With this measure in place, we were able to carry on with our routine in Recanto Aparecida (the Assisted Living for our elderly Sisters), making sure that our Sisters, collaborators, and their families are protected.

Due to the complex logistics, the distances and frequent rain, sometimes the trips were turbulent. At times, having trouble with our cars required the service of tow trucks and other support.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we also adopted this plan to get our sisters to places according to their most varied needs. UBER NOTRE DAME takes people for shopping, medical appointments and, lately, travels long distances to pick up and take back the Sisters who come to Sítio Notre Dame for their annual retreat.

Often we hear our collaborators, joyfully, say: “The Sister knows where I live” or “How wonderful to be picked up and dropped off right at the gate of my house”. They are very grateful for all the care they are receiving from our Province.